AMORE O LUSSURIA (LOVE OR LUST)

CHAPTER TWO

The rooftop spun around her music pulsing, lights flashing, bodies colliding but all Ava could feel was him. Ethan’s arm around her waist, his chest brushing hers, the subtle command in the way he moved.

“Relax,” he whispered, lips so close they grazed her ear. “You’re stiff.”

“I’m not stiff,” she shot back, though her voice betrayed her with its tremor.

“You are,” he teased, guiding her hips into the rhythm of the beat. “But it’s cute. Like you’re trying to fight me and yourself at the same time.”

Her glare was sharp, but her body betrayed her again moving with his, following his lead like it was inevitable. The bass thudded through her, but it was his presence that consumed her, every nerve alive under his touch.

“You think you’re irresistible, don’t you?” she said, breathless.

Ethan’s smirk curved lazily. “I don’t think, Ava. I know.”

Her pulse spiked. God, he was infuriating. And yet she couldn’t look away.

His hand slid lower on her back, pulling her flush against him. “See? You’re not pulling away.”

She should have. She should’ve shoved him off, walked away, gone back to Maya. But the moment she thought about letting go, the idea made her ache.

“Maybe I’m just curious,” she muttered.

“Curious?” His lips brushed the corner of her jaw, so faintly it could’ve been an accident. Except it wasn’t. “About what?”

Her breath caught. “About how long you can keep this act up.”

His chuckle rumbled low in his chest. “Sweetheart, this isn’t an act.”

The way he said it confident, unflinching made her legs weak. She tried to mask it with another glare, but Ethan’s eyes darkened, catching her slip.

He leaned in closer. “You feel it too, don’t you?”

Ava opened her mouth to deny it, but nothing came out. Because she did. God help her, she did. The pull, the fire, the danger of it all it was consuming her.

“I don’t” she started, but his thumb brushed her jaw, silencing her.

“Don’t lie,” he whispered. “Not to me. Not to yourself.”

Her chest rose and fell too quickly. She knew what was happening, knew where this was going, and yet she didn’t move. Didn’t want to move.

Ethan’s lips hovered just above hers, close enough that her body leaned forward on instinct.

Close enough that the world blurred around them, nothing but the gravity between their mouths.

“Tell me to stop,” he murmured, voice rougher now. “And I will.”

Her heart thundered. She should say it. She needed to say it.

But she didn’t.

And Ethan didn’t wait.

His lips crashed onto hers hot, demanding, full of the hunger he’d been holding back since the moment he saw her. Ava’s breath caught, her drink nearly slipping from her hand as the world tilted. She grabbed at his at his shirt instinctively, steadying herself, but his kiss only deepened, his hand tightening at her waist like he’d claimed her.

It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t sweet. It was fire raw, consuming, addictive. The kind of kiss that burned through reason and left only want behind.

Ava’s head screamed at her to stop, to remember every warning, every red flag but her body betrayed her again. She kissed him back, just as fierce, tasting the danger on his lips and craving more.

When he finally pulled away, both of them breathless, Ethan’s grin was wicked, satisfied. “Told you.”

Her chest heaved. “Told me what?”

“That you wouldn’t run.”

Before Ava could respond, Maya’s voice sliced through the haze.

“Ava!”

She jerked back like she’d been caught stealing. Maya stood at the edge of the dance floor, her face pale with disbelief.

Ava stumbled out of Ethan’s arms, her heart racing so violently it hurt. She couldn’t meet Maya’s eyes. She couldn’t even look at Ethan because she already knew.

She was in deeper than she meant to be.

And she was only just getting started.

ETHAN'S POV:

She tasted like citrus and hesitation. Sweet, sharp, with that edge of restraint he wanted to rip away piece by piece.

Ethan didn’t usually lose himself in a kiss. He knew the game too well tease, tempt, take just enough before pulling away. But with Ava, something shifted. The moment her lips gave in to his, he almost forgot where they were. Forgot the crowd, the music, even the fan club at the bar still watching.

For a second, it was just her.

When he pulled back, her wide eyes gave him the answer he’d already known she was hooked.

But the rush that went through him wasn’t just triumph. It was something heavier. Something he wasn’t ready to name.

“I told you,” he murmured, brushing his thumb along her jaw before she jerked back.

“Told me what?” she whispered, dazed.

“That you wouldn’t run.”

The words came out smug, practiced. The kind of thing he’d usually say without thinking. But underneath, Ethan felt something he didn’t like an ache he couldn’t place.

Ava stumbled out of his arms as her friend appeared, glaring like she wanted to murder him on the spot. Maya, he thought. He’d seen her around before. Always protective. Always skeptical.

Perfect. He liked a challenge.

Ava wouldn’t meet his eyes. She looked shaken, torn, like she was already regretting it. That should’ve been his cue to walk away, let her stew in the memory until she couldn’t resist him again. That was his pattern. Leave them wanting.

But he didn’t move.

He watched her instead, the way her chest rose and fell too quickly, the way her fingers shook when she pushed her hair behind her ear. She wasn’t like the others. She wasn’t playing. This wasn’t a game for her.

Which begged the question why did he suddenly want to play differently?

Ethan’s jaw clenched as he finished his drink in one swallow, his eyes never leaving her retreating figure as Maya pulled her away. He should’ve smirked, called out something cocky to reel her back in.

But all he did was watch.

And in that moment, Ethan Cole who never chased realized something dangerous.

He was going to chase her.

The night air hit Ava like a slap.

Cool, crisp, threaded with the hum of traffic below, but it wasn’t enough to douse the fire still blazing in her chest. Her lips tingled, swollen from his kiss, and her hands God, her hands were still trembling.

Maya didn’t notice. Or maybe she did, because her grip on Ava’s arm was unrelenting, dragging her down the rooftop stairs like she was a criminal being hauled to her sentencing.

When they reached the sidewalk, the noise of the rooftop dulled into distant thumps of bass. The city lights smeared across Ava’s vision, a dizzy blur of neon and shadow.

Maya spun, fury written across every inch of her face.

“What the actual hell was that, Ava?”

Ava opened her mouth, but the words scattered before they reached her tongue.

“You kissed him,” Maya seethed. “No, correction he kissed you and you let him. You let Ethan Cole of all people.....”

“Maya, stop,” Ava said quickly, her voice thinner than she wanted it to be.

“No, you stop!” Maya snapped, throwing her hands up. “I told you about him. I warned you. He’s not safe, Ava. He’s not even close to safe. Do you have any idea how many girls I’ve seen him do this to?”

Ava’s throat tightened. She looked down at the pavement, unable to hold Maya’s stare. “It wasn’t like that.”

“Oh my God, you sound just like the others,” Maya groaned. “Every single one of them swore he was different with them. That there was something real. That he looked at them in some special way.”

Her words stabbed, each one more brutal than the last. Because Ava had been about to say the exact same thing.

That it was different. That Ethan’s eyes on her hadn’t felt casual or empty. That the kiss had burned with something she couldn’t put into words.

Instead, she crossed her arms tight across her chest, trying to form a shield against Maya’s scorn. “I didn’t ask him to kiss me.”

“That’s the problem!” Maya snapped. “He doesn’t ask. He doesn’t give you space. He makes you forget yourself. That’s his entire game, Ava. And once he’s done? He’s gone.”

Ava bit her lip, fighting the sting of guilt. “Maybe I can handle it.”

Maya froze, staring at her like she’d just confessed to murder. “Handle it?” she repeated slowly, dangerously. “You think you can handle Ethan Cole? Ava, you can’t even handle your own thoughts right now. Look at you you’re shaking.”

Ava’s arms dropped to her sides. She hated that Maya was right. She hated that she could still feel him everywhere the heat of his hand at her waist, the press of his chest against hers, the taste of his mouth on her tongue.

She hated most of all that even as Maya lectured her, all she could think about was the way he’d whispered, Tell me to stop.

And how she hadn’t.

“Ava.” Maya’s voice softened, though it was still edged with steel. “He’s going to ruin you. I’m saying this because I love you. You can’t let this happen.”

Ava’s throat ached as she whispered, “It didn’t mean anything.”

Maya scoffed. “Then why are you defending him like your life depends on it?”

“I’m not....” Ava started, but her voice cracked, betraying her.

Maya sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “You’ve always been smart. Careful. You’ve never been the girl who gets swept up in… whatever that was.” She gestured vaguely toward the rooftop above them. “Don’t start now. Please.”

Ava swallowed, fighting the lump in her throat. She wanted to say she was fine. That she wasn’t the type to fall for a man like Ethan. That Maya was overreacting.

But when she closed her eyes, all she saw was him.

His smirk. His touch. The way his voice had dropped to a murmur that felt like it was meant only for her.

It was already too late.

She forced her lips into a thin line, finally whispering, “I’ll try.”

Maya studied her like she didn’t believe her for a second, but she looped her arm through Ava’s anyway, steering her toward the street corner where cabs lingered.

They rode in silence, city lights flickering across the car windows. Ava sat with her hands clasped tight in her lap, her pulse refusing to settle.

It didn’t mean anything, she told herself again. Over and over like a mantra.

But deep down, she knew it wasn’t true.

And Ethan Cole wasn’t done with her.

Not even close.